Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address the growth in teenage drinking reported in the National Centre for Social Research/National Foundation for Educational Research report "Smoking, drinking and drug misuse among young people in Scotland in 2000".

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive supports a range of measures to tackle young people’s drinking. Alcohol education in schools is an integral part of health education and personal and social development. This ensures that information about alcohol is given as part of a programme aimed at helping young people develop sound lifestyle choices and healthy living. We are also continuing to provide funding for agencies including the Health Education Board for Scotland, Alcohol Focus Scotland and DrinkWise who provide a range of information and advice on the dangers of under-age and excessive drinking and undertake a wide variety of preventative activities with schools and youth and community groups.

  The Executive is currently developing a national plan for action on alcohol misuse. The need to address young people’s drinking has emerged strongly during the Executive’s consultation on the plan.

Children’s Panels

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many reports made by the police to the Reporters to the children’s panels in (a) Glasgow, (b) Edinburgh, (c) Aberdeen and (d) Dundee are currently not actioned.

Nicol Stephen: The principal reporter is required by the Children’s (Scotland) Act 1995 to investigate each report. Action can and frequently does occur without a children’s hearing being necessary. A child will be referred to a hearing only where supervision on a compulsory basis appears necessary.

  Information about the progress of reports is a matter for the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration. The information requested is not held centrally.

Children’s Panels

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure a consistency of approach by reporters to children’s panels throughout Scotland.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) was established in 1996 to ensure a consistent approach by reporter staff is achieved.

  I have asked the principal reporter and his response is:

  "SCRA have placed particular emphasis on the need to share casework information amongst professional staff and several initiatives have been launched to improve the quality of such communication with the ultimate objective of improving consistency.

  SCRA’s internal practice guidance notes give direction on the standards of service expected. The introduction of a casework investigation framework has also promoted further standardisation.

  Overall patterns of decision making by reporters are influenced by significant local variations in levels of need, referral practice by other agencies and the type and range of resources to work with children and families."

Economy

Elaine Thomson (Aberdeen North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in preparing Scotland for the "new economy".

Ms Wendy Alexander: As noted by the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee report following its inquiry into the new economy, the Scottish Executive has already taken significant steps to address issues connected to the new economy in Scotland. Today I am issuing the Executive’s response to that report.

  One of the key issues highlighted by the report is telecommunications infrastructure across Scotland. The Executive has identified this as a priority issue and I am today announcing our strategy for making broadband connections more pervasive and affordable.

  Copies of both the Executive response and the broadband strategy are available on the Scottish Executive website. Copies have also been placed in the Parliament’s reference centre.

Education

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that schools will be able to take full advantage of an advanced digital infrastructure.

Nicol Stephen: Recommendations by PricewaterhouseCoopers on the feasibility of a broadband network for schools and the Executive’s response to those recommendations are being published today on the Executive’s website at www.scotland.gov.uk , and copies are being placed in the Parliament’s reference centre.

General Practitioners

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many GPs (a) retired, (b) resigned and (c) took up post in each of the last five years in each health board area.

Susan Deacon: Robust information on the numbers of GPs who retire or resign is not available as many do not supply a reason for leaving. Table 1 shows the numbers of GPs, by health board area, who ceased to practise as GP principals in each of the last five years. Table 2 shows the numbers of GPs who took up post over the same period. A direct comparison between tables 1 and 2 does not take full account of the impact of the increasing move into salaried general practice. For example, of the 29 salaried GPs currently employed under the personal medical services scheme in Scotland, 28 were previously employed as GP principals. Although they are recorded (in Table 1) as having ceased to practise as principals they are still providing GP services.

  Table 1: Number of GPs Who Ceased to Practise as Principals

  


 


Year Ending 30 September 
  



 


1996 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  



Scotland 
  

197 
  

152 
  

148 
  

138 
  

166 
  



Argyll & Clyde 
  

14 
  

19 
  

17 
  

15 
  

13 
  



Ayrshire & Arran 
  

13 
  

10 
  

7 
  

8 
  

14 
  



BORDERs 
  

3 
  

2 
  

2 
  

2 
  

2 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

8 
  

7 
  

3 
  

8 
  

4 
  



Fife 
  

6 
  

8 
  

11 
  

6 
  

6 
  



Forth Valley 
  

16 
  

4 
  

5 
  

13 
  

10 
  



Grampian 
  

14 
  

14 
  

19 
  

10 
  

23 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

41 
  

27 
  

28 
  

23 
  

19 
  



Highland 
  

10 
  

9 
  

8 
  

11 
  

13 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

12 
  

10 
  

13 
  

11 
  

17 
  



Lothian 
  

36 
  

25 
  

18 
  

12 
  

26 
  



Orkney 
  

3 
  

0 
  

1 
  

2 
  

5 
  



Shetland 
  

2 
  

3 
  

2 
  

4 
  

2 
  



Tayside 
  

19 
  

9 
  

12 
  

11 
  

10 
  



Western Isles 
  

0 
  

5 
  

2 
  

2 
  

2 
  



  Notes:

  1. Source: General Medical Practitioner Database, ISD Scotland.

  2. Data included those who moved from one health board to another and those who both took up post and left during the year.

  Table 2: Number of GPs Who Took Up Post as Principals

  


 


Year Ending 30 September 
  



 


1996 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  



Scotland 
  

245 
  

203 
  

184 
  

176 
  

172 
  



Argyll & Clyde 
  

13 
  

23 
  

22 
  

17 
  

18 
  



Ayrshire & Arran 
  

11 
  

12 
  

9 
  

11 
  

14 
  



BORDERs 
  

5 
  

4 
  

3 
  

4 
  

1 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

7 
  

13 
  

9 
  

6 
  

6 
  



Fife 
  

14 
  

14 
  

14 
  

12 
  

10 
  



Forth Valley 
  

19 
  

7 
  

6 
  

18 
  

10 
  



Grampian 
  

22 
  

17 
  

20 
  

16 
  

25 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

44 
  

31 
  

32 
  

23 
  

16 
  



Highland 
  

16 
  

13 
  

13 
  

13 
  

12 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

21 
  

14 
  

13 
  

13 
  

15 
  



Lothian 
  

43 
  

31 
  

21 
  

26 
  

24 
  



Orkney 
  

2 
  

2 
  

2 
  

1 
  

5 
  



Shetland 
  

2 
  

4 
  

0 
  

4 
  

3 
  



Tayside 
  

24 
  

16 
  

17 
  

12 
  

12 
  



Western Isles 
  

2 
  

2 
  

3 
  

0 
  

1 
  



  Notes:

  1. Source: General Medical Practitioner Database, ISD Scotland.

  2. Data included those who moved from one health board to another and those who both took up post and left during the year.

Government Services

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what aspects of the strategy outlined in "e-government: a strategic framework for public services in the Information Age" it has not adopted due to them being inappropriate for Scotland.

Angus MacKay: "e-government: a strategic framework for public services in the Information Age" provides a framework for planning and actions across the public sector and was developed with the co-operation of the devolved administrations with the objective that it can, as far as possible, be adopted as a common strategy.

  The Scottish Executive has not rejected any aspects of the framework as being inappropriate for Scotland.

Health

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with health boards and NHS trusts about winter planning strategy.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive has regular discussions with NHS bodies about a range of issues, including winter planning. Discussions about winter planning have covered arrangements for flu immunisation; the role of social services and of primary care organisations in treating and caring for people at home; the importance of effective joint working between the NHS and local authorities; the need to reduce the number of patients waiting for discharge from hospital; the importance of adequate capacity in hospital critical care and high dependency units, and staff recruitment and retention.

  Health boards have provided draft winter plans to the Scottish Executive health department and these are being reviewed.

Health

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been allocated to health boards and NHS trusts for winter planning strategy, particularly in relation to delayed discharge.

Susan Deacon: Health boards were notified of their annual financial allocation for 2001-02 before the beginning of the financial year. Total resources across Scotland are up 8.1 per cent on last year. Boards are expected to plan and manage the provision of health services, including responding to winter and reducing the number of patients waiting for discharge, within their overall allocation.

  In June of last year, I announced an additional £60 million for health boards to help address key priorities, including work on winter preparations and delayed discharges. This additional allocation has been built into health boards’ allocations for the current and future years.

Health

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what strategies are in place to deal with delayed discharge, particularly over the winter months.

Susan Deacon: We have emphasised to local planning partners the importance of working together to tackle this issue, for the benefit of people living in their areas. Examples of local strategies which have been shown to work include joint rapid response teams to avoid inappropriate hospital admissions and joint supported discharge teams.

  At a Scottish level, the quarterly census of patients waiting for discharge provides accurate and consistent information about trends and reasons for waiting; this allows local planning partners to direct efforts at reducing delays. Additionally, we hold discussions with NHS organisations and local authorities about joint planning and working and are taking forward implementation of the recommendations of the joint future group. Other actions are under discussion with the NHS and local authorities.

Higher Education

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the South of Scotland University working group to report and whether its report will be made public.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The working group completed its consideration in May of this year. I expect to receive the report of the group’s conclusions and recommendations shortly and will place a copy before the Parliament thereafter.

Local Government

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what authorisation local authorities require from it in order to transfer a heritable asset to a not for profit organisation for no or a nominal consideration and what rules and conditions apply in relation to such transfers.

Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-7981 on 31 July 2000.

Planning

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review permitted development rights under the planning laws in order to ensure that permitted developments which raise archaeological issues are fully scrutinised and, where appropriate, made conditional upon developer-funded excavations.

Lewis Macdonald: National planning policy guideline (NPPG) 5: archaeology and planning acknowledges that some development which is permitted development may give rise to a real and specific threat to a scheduled monument or other significant archaeological site, or their setting. It goes on to say that in such cases planning authorities may wish to consider the use of their powers under article 4 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992 to withdraw particular permitted development rights.

  We have no plans to revise or augment these arrangements or guidance.

Planning

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all developments to which article 3(2) of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Amendment (No.2) Order 2001 (SSI 2001/266) applies must be completed within 14 consecutive days commencing on 23 July 2001.

Lewis Macdonald: In order to benefit from the permitted development rights which existed under class 7 of Schedule 1 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992 prior to 23 July, development started before that date must be completed within 14 days of 23 July, not including 23 July itself. Effectively, the 14-day period ended at midnight on 6 August.

Planning

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any work left uncompleted by 6 August 2001 under article 3(2) of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Amendment (No.2) Order 2001 (SSI 2001/266) will be subject to any of the provisions of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2001 (SSI 2001/244), no matter what the causes are of the non-completion of the work.

Lewis Macdonald: The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 2) Order 2001 (Scottish Statutory Instrument 2001/266) revoked and replaced the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2001 (SSI 2001/244) and specified a transitional arrangement applying to development started before it came into force.

  The transitional arrangement allows development under permitted development rights started before 23 July and completed within 14 days of that date to benefit from the permitted development rights which were in place prior to the new tighter controls coming into force. If such development is not completed within that timescale, any development carried out on or after 23 July will be subject to the planning controls which came into force on that date.

  The new planning legislation does not provide for an extension to the 14-day period described in the transitional arrangement, which runs consecutively without interruption. Enforcement action in relation to any breaches of planning control will be a matter for the planning authority to consider.

Planning

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria will be used when judging future planning appeals against refusals under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2001 (SSI 2001/244).

Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-17270 in relation to the revocation and replacement of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2001 (SSI 2001/244).

  In relation to appeals against refusal of planning permission arising as a result of the new legislation, as with all planning appeals, each case will be judged on its individual merits and in accordance with the relevant legislation, development plan policy and national policy. National Planning Policy Guideline 19: Radio Telecommunications, published on 20 July 2001 by the Scottish Executive Development Department, and available in the Parliament’s reference centre (Bib. no. 15218) will be of particular relevance to radio telecommunications developments.

Single European Currency

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current estimate is of the cost of preparing its departments for the possible introduction of the euro.

Angus MacKay: The cost of a changeover would depend on the timing, the overall approach and individual management decisions.

Voluntary Organisations

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive to which voluntary organisations it allocated grants in 2000-01, specifying the amount awarded in each case, and to which organisations it has allocated grants in 2001-02, specifying the amount offered in each case.

Jackie Baillie: The Executive has released today a database on direct grants to voluntary organisations in 2000-01 and 2001-02. Copies are available from the Parliament’s reference centre.

Water Authorities

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to consult the Independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments on the propriety of the appointment of the former chief executive of West of Scotland Authority, Mr Ernie Chambers, to a post with Beattie Media and what plans it has to issue guidance to public bodies such as West of Scotland Water Authority on senior managers taking up similar positions, where a perceived conflict of interest may arise in the future.

Ross Finnie: The Independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments advises on the business appointment rules for crown servants. The chief executive of the West of Scotland Water Authority is not a crown servant. The post is therefore not covered by the business appointment rules for crown servants. His appointment is subject to ministerial approval but not all such appointments are bound by the business appointment rules.

  It is for an individual public body, as an employer, to determine the precise terms and conditions for its staff. The Executive is currently reviewing the framework for issuing guidance to public bodies following the public bodies review to ensure consistency in approach. This will cover a wide range of issues, including staff issues.